True Freedom
by Crowbartender
Summary: "I guess, well, I guess she put something inside me, something big and warm, that stopped the echo." - A NadiexEllis oneshot


**Jeez, I'm sorry. This wasn't a planned thing; it just kinda happened when I was bored and had nothing but a gameboy and some spare paper to keep me company! I watched all the episodes within three days and I gotta say, I was stunned. I always have a thing for shows/movies that have a robot/creation that's more human than an actual person. A'ight, enough of my crap, off you go.**

* * *

I remember my first thought when I saw Ellis messing around with cards in the middle of the street, trying to impress the sketchy townsfolk. I thought, _she's just a kid._

I never knew what it meant to have a mother, or to be one, but when I took the little witch under my wing, I believed that maybe what I felt for Ellis was maternal. I wanted to protect her, to make her happy, even at the expense of my own happiness and wellbeing. That's what a mother does, right?

The thing is, after spending so much time with her, I realised, despite her naivety, she wasn't a child. Now I look at her and I think, _that's my girl_. She kick-starts my heart when she smiles and that's why I was able to abandon my old life on the road alone, chasing bounties and distant dreams. Being with her was enough. Is enough.

I'll never be tied down, but I'll always be tied to her. A lot of guys have tried to date me, but every time they asked, my eyes would wander past their stubbled chins, their broad shoulders, and I'd find Ellis standing there, watching the exchange curiously.

I'd say something like "Look amigo, you're sweet, don't get me wrong, but I'm not interesting in dating anyone right now." Tail between his legs, the poor dude would leave, sometimes making a snide remark on his way. The aftermath was always the same. Ellis would march up, an air of triumph pulsing around her, and she'd grab my hand and drag me back to the car.

"We're together, Nadie. Don't worry."

As if I was ever worried.

I owe a lot to Ellis, because she stopped the echo. Okay, that doesn't make much sense. Alright, have you ever gone into an empty room, one without furniture or obstructions, and said something to yourself? Notice how your voice resounds and makes you so aware of the emptiness. That cold echo was in my heart. But when Ellis was next to me, it disappeared. I guess, well, I guess she put something inside me, something big and warm, that stopped the echo.

"Your eyes," a voice says, pulling me from my thoughts. I blink and see that I'm on the road, the wrong side, and Ellis is next to me with a starlit gaze.

"Huh?" I murmur. Ellis tilts her head.

"Your eyes are like the sky today. So far away," she determines.

"I'm just thinkin'," I say.

"About what?"

"You."

"Did I do something?"

"Sorta. Nothin' bad though."

"Are the incandescent flames of love burning deep within your heart?"

"Yup."

A blush touches her cheeks and she smiles that soft smile of hers, the one I adore, and whispers, "Mine too."

Maybe she thinks I'm serious, because she weighs my shoulder down with her head and that odd smell she carries hits me briefly before being taken by the wind. Odd but pleasant. Like her.

Hey, you know what? Maybe I was serious. With one hand on the wheel, I wrap my free arm around her and she sighs contentedly.

"I do love you, Nadie," she says. Then, to my surprise, she asks, "Why haven't we kissed yet?"

My hand spasms and the car swerves. Ellis doesn't even flinch as I let go of her to steady the car with both hands.

"Crap, Ellis. What a thing to say!"

"But we love each other. People who love each other kiss," she maintains, her expression as innocent (or is it vacant?) as ever.

"It's a different kind of love. Love between friends isn't like love between a man and a woman," I explain.

"Why can't it be?"

"Oh, well, it can lead to it sometimes, but I think you're just confused."

"I wouldn't be if you kissed me," she reasons simply.

"Then it can't be helped," I relent. Ellis sits back in her seat and claps. There's no sound, or there is but I can't hear it, and I pull over. Ellis closes her eyes.

"Kiss me passionately in the rain," she quotes. I need to stop her from reading those damn romance novels.

"This will be your first, right?"

"Yes sir," she confirms, facing me, lips puckering slightly. She really had no idea what she was doing, but I'll humour her. I rest my hands on her shoulders and lean in.

"Your first kiss is meant to be special, Ellis. Are you sure about this?" I ask, reluctant to rob her of this experience. I'm just a retired bounty hunter, just a bum on the streets.

"You are special, Nadie," she says, eyes still closed. In response to her affectionate words, I cup her face. The centre console wedges into my thigh and I feel her fingers graze my waist. I breathe in, so does she, and I close the distance.

It's simple, it's gentle, it's right, it's her, it's us. She doesn't move as I press my lips a little harder against hers. She's frozen and I'm worried that she truly wasn't prepared for what I did, so I withdraw.

"Was, um, that okay?"

She's gazing through the windshield, at the sunset, or beyond it. I can't tell. She mutters something and I ask her to say it louder.

"Can we do that again?" she questions.

"Ellis..."

"You didn't like it?"

"It's not that," I reassure her. She stretches towards me and pinches one of my earrings.

"Again," she demands, tugging the circlet and me closer.

Shrugging, I dart forward and peck her lips, but the moment she let's go of my earring, I fly back and start the engine. She had no chance to react or return the contact and I chuckle. She'd teased me plenty of times in the past, so now it was her turn.

"It's love," she says, ignorant to the intentions behind my haste. She seems satisfied with what I did. Damn it. She's buzzing with happiness as she wonders, "What do you call love between two girls?"

"A lesbian relationship."

"Ellisbian?" she repeats. I laugh at the pun, my hair nearly flying into my mouth. We really need a car with a roof.

"Yeah, that's what we'll call it."

"So, you're an Ellisbian and I'm..."

"A dork," I finish.

"I must be if I have feelings for you." Oh, that Ellis can be sharp.

"But everyone loves me!" I gloat and there's a twinge of jealousy on Ellis' face as she takes my arm captive.

"They can't have you."

"I'll never belong to anyone," I say, then I dare to take my eyes off the road to deliver a kiss to Ellis' temple and continue, "But I do belong _with_ you."

"Forever," she decides.

"Forever," I agree.

* * *

That night I couldn't afford a motel room. I kind of wish I didn't leave my job and home to travel again, but Ellis understood me more that I gave her credit for. She could hardly understand herself or the world, but when it came to me, she was an expert. Figures.

We camped out, Ellis opting for my lap rather than a pillow, and I leant back on a smooth rock. I could never sleep lying down. Of course, it was more comfortable, but if I'm sitting, I'm ready for danger.

I felt the girl shift and thought she probably noticed how uncomfortable my lap was. Though I don't see how, considering I put on some weight while we lived in luxury. But then I felt pressure on my lips and I opened my eyes. Ellis had only moved so she could kiss me. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy her delicate assault.

Ellis, to me, isn't actually a witch, or a lab experiment, or a kid. No, she's home. It was easy to go back to how things were because I was only attached to one thing and it was with me always. That light at the end of the tunnel that everyone talks about, it surrounds me, holds me. That shine in my eyes Ellis claimed to cherish isn't because I'm on a journey, or because I'm free, it's her reflection. She's the light, the shine, the one I need.

I kissed her back and she was a little shocked to find me awake, or she knew and just wasn't expecting me to reciprocate so firmly.

I reached into my pocket and grabbed what was in it. Ellis had taken to experimenting and bit my bottom lip. I almost dropped what I had in my hand as a jolt hit me southward. Shit.

"Whoa, slow down there, tiger," I say after I detach her from my lip. All that biting and sucking is a bit much for a newbie.

"But it's good. You taste like... like something I've never had before. Maybe eternity," she breathes.

She's leaning in and boy do I want to let her continue her mission, but I might forget the object squeezed against my palm in the midst of our make out.

"Stop! I have something for you!" I blurt and she pauses, then retreats.

"What is it?"

I show her what's in my hand and her eyes widen.

"I bought the materials, but I weaved it and carved the bird. Like it?" The bird was an eagle hanging from intertwined leather cords, decorated with coloured beads. I'll admit, the eagle looks more like a duck, but I could only practice so much while Ellis slept and I struggled to concentrate.

"Nadie..." She takes the keychain from me and stares at it in awe. Her eyes glitter and then there's tears. She's crying and collapsing into my arms.

"Memories are important, right? Here's a new one."

"I'll treasure it; just like I treasure you."

I take Ellis' face from my chest and finish what she started. I kiss her soundly. Hey, it may not be raining, but there's a storm. It's in me, it's in her, and it's raging. She presses against me and I can feel the beads of the keychain dig into the back of my neck. Her tears flavour our kiss and before I lose all my wits, I move back.

I carefully wipe under her eyes with the pads of my thumbs, then lower my hands to her arms and smile. She's smiling, too. The fire behind her makes her glow and I can't believe how beautiful she is. She clutches the keychain to her heart as she watches me.

"Can I tell you something?" I ask.

"What?"

"I love you."

She just doesn't realise how much.

* * *

**Usually, I read all the fanfics for a fandom before I try to write something in case someone's already puked out my idea way better than I could, but not this time. Might bite me in the ass, I dunno. Welp, I'd like to write something a little less fast-paced with multiple chapters, but I'm working on other things right now. If anyone has an idea they think I won't screw up, let me know. All I need is a sentence to stimulate my mind into creating a story, so don't worry if it's short. **

**Peace! **


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